Elemental War
by Aix98
Summary: A/U. Some children are born as Elementalists, which are people who have influence over the elements of the world. A war has been going on ever since, to see which faction should rule. Then, a child was born, possessing an ancient power that's thought to be extinct. When his existence is known, they want his head on a stake. (A/N: Percy won't be the main character. It'll be an Oc.)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's something I haven't seen anywhere else. This is a standalone fic which I added with a little twist. It might be similar to Avatar, with the element manipulation and all, but mine is cooler.**

 **Well, nothing's cooler than Avatar (except for sprinkled donuts) but hey, nothing's perfect right?**

 **Without further ado, enjoy.**

 **P/S: It's a Percabeth. Also, the main character will be an OC instead of Percy because he has too much media attention already. Time for the little guy to step up.**

 **Chapter 1**

When you're seventeen years old, you thought nothing could get worse other than high school.

Well, if you never thought differently, then I envy you for having such normal lives. If your lives are ever normal, which I'm guessing not really.

I had a normal life before that black haired guy flew through the window of my classroom and nearly destroyed everything with his bad mouthing punk-haired friend who seemed to shoot electricity from her hands.

Before that, I'll start from the very top, okay? My name's Ai.

I know, dumb name.

I practically live alone since my parents are divorced and gave me a house to live in when I'm old enough to take care of myself. Both of them were too busy with work, so I had to look after myself.

They're filthy rich too, which explains why I got a house for me. It's not a big house, but it's good enough for me to live in alone. I also got a high school scholarship, which is rare, so I was a somewhat smart kid.

Life was going great.

Then, on that fateful day, things went on normally. I was in class, studying and making the most out of life. The teacher, Mr Burke, was in the middle of explaining why Kronos ate his kids when suddenly, the window to our classroom shattered and a guy, probably the same age me, flew in and crashed onto me.

The other students screamed and backed away from the guy, who was currently on top of me.

"Get off me!" I said, pushing him off. I stood up, looking at him. There was not a single scratch on him, which was weird because from the velocity and way he fell, he should've been wounded somewhere. "Where did you come from?"

"An ass whooping," He grunted. He tried to stand up, but he got brought back down by another person who flew in with the speed of a speeding bullet with her feet planted on the guy's chest. That should've cracked his ribs, but he just groaned in pain.

"Stay down, Percy. You already lost this duel," The girl said with her hand on hip.

"Uh huh, like that's gonna happen," The guy, Percy, moaned. He stood up and tried to run towards the girl, but the girl thrusts her hand out, shooting a bolt of lightning towards Percy and blinded the rest of us for a moment.

When my vision cleared, the girl was standing near Percy, one foot on his back with a triumphant smug smile evident on her face. Percy groaned under her feet.

Around me, I heard the students murmur. "Flew from nowhere . . . Flashbang from hand . . . Don't look very smart . . ."

"Now, do you surrender?" The girl said.

"Excuse me but what in the god's name is happening here?!" Mr Burke shouted. "You'd better have a good explanation for damaging the classroom and using live grenades in school grounds!"

Wait, grenades? I looked at their hands and I don't see them holding anything. The pair stared at our teacher before the girl poked him, shocking him with electricity.

"What did he mean grenades?" I stood up. It was probably not the wisest thing to do, considering the girl just shocked my teacher into unconsciousness, but I was curious.

"Kid, maybe it's best if you don't interfere," Percy said.

"No," I said with surprising stubbornness that I didn't know I had. "You just destroyed our class, so I think we have the right to know what the heck is going on,"

The girl's hand started to spark with electricity again.

"I'd run if I were you," Percy said as he stood up. "Thalia's not a good negotiator."

"I'm not gonna run because I want to know what are _you_ guys doing in our-" I got interrupted when my face met that girl's fist. Thalia, was it? I don't really have the time to remember because I landed hard on the floor, head first. My vision went blurry and the air got knocked out of me, leaving me breathless.

I gasped for air as I could hear Thalia walking towards me. She seems to fry the air around her. "Uh, Thalia," Percy called her. "We really shouldn't be interacting with mortals."

"I'm gonna teach this kid a lesson," Thalia growled as she glared at me, like I was the one who destroyed the classroom.

"Who're you calling a kid, freaking bug zapper," I said. I didn't know where the insult came from, but it felt good to get it out.

I half expected them to get offended and start to squish me into a pulp, but instead, Percy burst out laughing. Thalia turned around and glared at him instead.

"Why are you laughing? You're supposed to help me!" She growled.

"Sorry," Percy said after he's done laughing. "That was just too funny. Nice one kid,"

They are confusing. At first they wanted to kill me and then Percy was acting like I was his friend. "You guys are being weird,"

"Please dont' hurt him," A classmate of mine, squeaked.

"I'm just going to make him very sorry for interrupting," Thalia summed up. Then, another girl barged into the room. Unlike Thalia, this one actually looked like a normal girl. She's also around my age, with blonde curls flowing down her shoulders and grey eyes that looked like they could kill someone by staring for ten seconds.

"Come on guys," The girl said. "We're gonna get in trouble if we stay any longer,"

"I'm ready to leave, but Thalia's being an idiot,"

"Shut up, Jackson," Thalia growled. Then, she turned her attention back towards me. "And you," She stepped clsoer.

"Why are you pissed off at me anyway?"

"You called me a bug zapper!"

Then, the blonde girl started laughing. Thalia glared at her as well. "Sorry, that's just really funny."

"I know right?" Percy smirked.

"Shut up!" Thalia said. Her hand sparked with electricity. "Before I beat your asses as well,"

I then did something very stupid that god only knows why I did it.

I kicked Thalia in the knee, making her fall face first to the floor before I made a run for it. Percy and the blonde girl barely had enough time to react as I jumped through the window of my classroom.

As spontaneous that plan had been, I didn't fully thought it through, because I forgot that we were on the second floor.

Shit.

I landed rough on the ground with my legs. The jolt went up to my body and my legs felt numb. I grunted in pain and tried to stand. I'm surprised that they weren't broken, but it was still very painful. I ran like my legs were retarded. Thunder struck up ahead, even though it was a sunny day.

Something bright zipped past from behind me and stopped a few meters in front of me. It was Thalia, and she looked pissed. I didn't know how she got here so fast, but I have nowhere else to run.

"I'm going to enjoy beating you up," Thalia said evilly.

"Come on Thalia," the blonde said. They got here quick. "Knock it off. He's just a normal human,"

"Normal people don't survive a two storey fall," Percy grinned. "Maybe he's got potential to be a collector."

At that point, I lost track of what he was talking about.

"That's because he's good at running away," Thalia glared at me. "Now let's see how he runs from this," Thalia thrusts her hand forward, shooting electricity from her hand and towards me.

I don't really know how to describe the pain, so I'll try my best.

Imagine every bone in your body vibrating violently with every inch of your skin feeling like it was piereced by teeny tiny needles. Now imagine your body moving like you're having a seizure and that every inch you move, hurts. A lot.

That's about right.

When it finally stopped, my body felt numb but alive.

"That's enough Thals," the blonde girl said. "He had enough,"

"Suits him for trying to mess with me," Thalia smirked.

Isn't that just rude? Here I was, trying to figure out why the fuck they trashed our classroom, and she treats me like I've just killed her grandmother.

Anger boiled inside me. My hands felt hot and tingly. For some reason, I could move after taking that amount of electricity. I tried to stand up.

"It's better if you stay down kid," Thalia said. "It'll hurt a lot less,"

"It'll hurt a lot more for you if I stand up," I growled.

"What'd you say you little-" Thalia didn't finish her sentence. Instinct took over me. I thrust my hand forward, just like Thalia had. Elecricity flowed out of my hand, smashing into Thalia with full force, sending her flying a few meters back. Her body was smoking and some of her clothes were singed.

"Whoa," Percy muttered. "That was insanely awesome,"

"And Thalia's lightning-proof too," The blondie added. She strolled towards me, where I was having a hard time trying to stay up. "What's your name, kid?"

"I'm not a kid," I wheezed. "And the name's Ai."

"An Elementalist maybe?" Percy asked.

"Maybe," the girl agreed. Then, she turned back towards me. "I'm Annabeth," Then, I heard Thalia coughing and standing up. She glared at me, and she looked murderous.

"You're gonna pay for that." Thalia growled.

"Thalia, enough," Percy said.

"Stay out of this," Thalia said as she crouched down.

"Kid, get down!" Percy shouted. As Thalia shot right towards me like a bullet, Percy shot a stream of water towards my legs, making me buckle and fall to the ground. Thalia whizzed above me, missing me completely.

Why is she being annoying? Anger boiled inside me again. Instinct took over. I stood up, facing Thalia. She was going to do that move again.

I clapsed my hands together and slammed it to the ground palm first. At first, nothing happened. But then, the ground rumbled and spikes made out of ice sprouted from the ground, blocking Thalia's path. Thalia crashed into the ice spike at full speed, destroying it and making Thalia crash onto the ground as well.

"Um," Percy muttered. "I swear that wasn't me. I can't even do that,"

"Knock him out," Annabeth said. Percy nodded and I was too dizzy to register what they had said. The last thing I remembered was Percy walking towards me before I blacked out.

 **Line Break**

I woke up with a start on an unfamiliar bed. My body was in pain and my brain felt retarded. My vision was fuzzy for a few seconds before it cleared up. When I moved, my joints made unpleasant cracking sound. I groaned in pain when I tried to sit up straight.

I looked around, trying to take in my surroundings. I was in a log cabin and was on one of the few bunk beds around. Or more like hospital beds. If I had to guess, this was some kind of infirmary. Several of the beds were occupied. On the bed right in front of me, was Thalia.

And she was giving me the death glare.

Her head was bandaged and her left arm was in a cast. Other than that, she looked perfectly fine to kill me. I wanted to just pretend I didn't see her and go back to sleep, but that didn't seem like a good idea.

"Hey," I started. Thalia glared at me.

"I'm gonna kill you,"

"Yeah, figured that out," I said. "Where are we?"

"I'll tell you after I've killed you."

"That's enough," Another voice said. It was Annabeth. "Can't you wait until you're healed before you started killing another person,"

"He started it!" Thalia exclaimed.

"I think it was the other way around," I suggested.

"Why you little-!"

Another girl laughed from the entrance of the building. "Trying to kill another kid, Thalia?" I looked to see who was it. It was a brown haried girl, maybe younger than me. When I looked into her eyes, they seem to change colours, like a kaleidoscope. She also looked beautiful, like seriously beautiful and for a girl her age . . . Well, she seemed more mature.

You get the idea.

"Piper," Annabeth smiled. "Care to join us in briefing the new kid?"

"Sure," the girl, Piper, said and moved closer.

"Hey," Annabeth looked at me. She sat down next to my bed on a wooden stool. "You name was Ai, wasn't it?"

"Isn't that a sick name," Piper smirked.

"Yeah, that's my name," I said. "Where am I? Who are you guys? And why did she tried to kill me?" I gestured to Thalia.

"I would've killed you," Thalia grumbled.

"I know you have a lot of questions, so I'll try to explain as best as I could," Annabeth said. "In this world we're living in, there're normal people and there're people like us."

"What do you mean, people like us?" I asked.

"People with powers over elements," Piper supplied.

Annabeth nodded. "People like us can control the elements of the world. Like Thalia, who can control lightning and Percy, that guy from before, who can control water."

"That sounds a lot like that one cartoon," I muttered to myself, remembering a cartoon similar to those powers. Luckily, no one heard me.

"Normal people can't see it. There's like a veil that covers our reality from theirs. That's why your class didn't see lightning from Thalia's hand, but you did." Annabeth added. "We call this veil the Mist."

"I think I get it," I said, though my head was hurting. "We all have control of some type of element and the normal people can't see this, right?"

"Right" Piper said with a smile.

"There's one thing I don't get though." Annabeth said. "Ai used two elements against Thalia."

"That's not that weird," Piper said. "We sometimes get people who can control two elements. Like Nico and Hazel. There's only one person who can control three, and he's not even here."

"Yeah, but Ai used his powers so fluently," Annabeth concluded. "As if he'd done this before. He turned the water underground into ice. Percy said that even he couldn't do that,"

"Maybe beginner's luck?" Thalia said.

"There's no such thing," Annabeth said. "At any rate, he's got potential. Can you walk him around camp, Piper?"

"Sure thing," Piper said. Then, she turned towards me. "Can you walk? Because I'm not going to push you in a wheelchair,"

 **Line Break**

After changing into a pair of jeans and a plain white shirt that Annabeth had given me, I walked, well, more like limped, towards Piper who was waiting outside.

The place almost made me feel retarded again.

The building I'm in was in the middle of a bowl shaped valley surrounded by various . . . terrains. The valley was divided into several sections, each representing a different element. One section, I figured, must've been dedicated to flames, because it was hot. There was a volcano on the other end of the section, its lava still flowing but didn't appear to be out of control. There were cabins in that section, maybe for the occupants. I don't know how they survived the heat, and I didn't want to know.

On another section was a beach, literally. The yellow sands gathered up to form a small island in the middle of the section, surrounded by salt water that goes who know how deep. A bridge connects the main building to the island, which was littered with beach cabins, maybe about three of them. It must've been for Percy, the water guys.

There were a few more, but by then, my brain was overloading.

"You okay?" Piper asked.

"Yeah," I managed. "Just trying to take in the surroundings."

Piper chuckled. "I had the same reaction the first time I was here," She said. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it,"

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Almost two years," Piper said.

"And what kind of Elementalist are you?"

"I'm a Psychic Elementalist," Piper said. "Which drops into many more categories,"

"What do you mean?"

"There are different types of psychics, and each elementalist can control like one category of the psychic element. For example, Annabeth is a Psychic Elementalist that we call Tacticians. She can scan every single thing within a few meter radius, which makes her a good tactician and battle planner. Someone like Reyna is a Psychic Elementalist we call a Reader. She can read minds, emotions and other stuff."

"What about you?" I asked.

"For a Psychic Elementalist like me, we're called Seducers. We can influence people's mind, make them do and say what we want to." Piper explained. That just made me nervous, because she could practically tell me to run naked and I'll do it. "There are also others like Movers, who have telekinesis and can move even the heaviest stuff. Together, the Psychic section form the best of the best."

"Huh," I said. "That makes you much more friendly."

"Relax. No one here can harm you except through the Arena and duels. During duels or in the arena, you can be harmed but can't be killed."

"Arena?"

"Come on, I'll show you,"

 **Line Break**

After getting used to my legs feeling retarded and dodging some accidental cannonballs from the guys who manipulate metal, we arrived at the arena unscathed.

Sort of.

The arena was basically a colosseum. The ground was dirt and sand while the bleachers surrounded the arena in a ring and were made out of stones.

And it wasn't unoccupied.

In the arena was Percy with another guy with blonde hair, a few inches shorter than Percy and thinner. They were in a sparring elemental match, with Percy using his control over water while the other dude used electricity, like Thalia. They didn't seem to outmatch each other.

Piper whistled to get their attention. "Hey guys!"

The sparring stopped and both guys looked at us. Percy grinned when he saw me. "Hey Piper," Percy said and walked towards us.

"Hey Percy," She said. "Hey Jason," She greeted the blonde one, Jason.

"Hey Pipes," Jason smirked and leaned in to give Piper a kiss. So, public affection isn't forbidden in this place.

"So, new kid," Percy said. "How are you liking this place so far?"

"It's . . . solid." That was the only word that came into my mind.

"Solid?" Percy chuckled. "Quite a show you put on when we first met,"

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that," I scratched my head.

"Don't be sorry," Percy grinned. "You were amazing for a new kid."

"What's his element?" Jason asked as he drank a bottle of water.

"Water and lightning," Percy explained.

"A dual-wielder?" Jason turned his attention towards me. "Wanna go for a few rounds? I'll show you the ropes,"

"He just got here," Piper pointed out.

"Don't worry. We're just gonna teach him the basics." Percy grinned. "Consider it your first lesson in wielding your powers. And no, we're not picking on the new kid,"

"The name's Ai," I said.

"Right," Jason said. "Come here Ai,"

Jason and Percy led me to the center of the arena. I overheard Piper talking to someone. "What's going on?"

"The new kid's getting smashed,"

"Gotta watch it,"

Great, my first glorious moment in this place: Getting smashed to a pulp.

"Okay," Jason turned towards me. "The first step in using your element is by reaching into your inner power and releasing it out from your hands or feet or wherever you wanna release it from."

"Did you just use a line from a movie?" Percy asked.

"No idea what you're talking about," Jason denied. "Now, try it."

I nodded. I took a deep breath and concentrated, trying to unleash any kind of power that I can. I felt a tug in my gut and something vibrating. I thrust my hand out, and nothing happened.

"That was anti-climatic," Percy said.

"Boo!" A guys from the bleachers said. I didn't notice that a small crowd was already forming to watch me making a douche out of myself. "You suck!"

"Calm down eveyone," Jason said. "What happened?"

"Dunno," I said. "Maybe I'm just not up to it yet?"

"That ridiculous. I've seen you use your powers. You use it better than how I use it," Percy said. "Besides, using powers comes in naturally,"

"Maybe he just needs motivation." Someone from the entrance said. It was Thalia, who looks surprisingly well for someone who ran into an ice spike at a million miles per hour.

"Uh oh," I said.

"Then let's give him the motivation," A girl from the crowd said. She was built like a linebacker and looked like she could punch hole through a wooden wall.

"Clarisse, no," Percy warned.

"Does everyone pick on the new kid?" I whispered at Jason.

"Not really, but word got around that you beat Thalia, who's hard to beat. So naturally, they want to see what you're capable of." Jason said back.

"Fire!" Clarisse shouted as she shot a ball of flame towards me, faster than anyone could've reacted. It hit me square in the chest, sending me flying across the arena and onto the wall. My body shot up with pain as I grunted.

"Clarisse!" Percy growled. "That was unnecessary."

"Come on, new kid!" Clarisse stepped into the arena. "Show us what you're made of!"

Anger took over me. The same adrenaline from before rushed into me like a disease. I thrust my hand forward and shot an intense ball of flame at Clarisse. Clarisse was sent falling back.

"Wait, I thought you controlled water and lightning?" Percy asked.

"Is he a flame user?" Someone from the crowd ask.

"A triple wielder?" Percy offered.

I was getting tired of people trying to figure out what was wrong with me. It's like I'm a lab experiment gone wrong. I don't like it.

Without saying another word, I made my way towards the entrance.

"Where do you think you're going?" Clarisse roared. "Come back her new kid!" At the entrance, a couple of guys were blocking my exit.

"Come on Clarisse, you asked for it," Percy said.

"Shut up, Jackson," Clarisse growled. "I'm teaching the new kid a lesson,"

"Clarisse, please," Jason said but she was being stubborn.

"Um, sorry?" I tried.

"Too late for that new kid," Clarisse's hand lit up with flames. The crowd cheered in approval while Jason and Percy just shook their heads.

I tried to run, but I found out my feet were buried to the ground. Literally. It's like the earth had swollen my feet up until the ankles, leaving me stuck. The perfect target dummy.

In panic and out of instinct, I slammed the ground. Earthen pillars shot out from under Clarisse, knocking her out of her balance. I got out of the ground with ease.

"Four?!" Percy said with disbelief. "You control four elements?"

"I don't think so," I muttered.

"You're dead new kid!" Clarisse shouted. Clarisse ran towards me, her hands engulfed in flames. I rolled out of the way and ran away from him.

I mean _her_.

I'm not sexist, so don't sue me.

"I'll help," I heard Jason said as I ran away from the angry girl that's chasing me. He made an upward motion with his hand. I was lifted up in the air by something. It wasn't like I was lifted, it was like the air around me was pushing me upwards. My guess is that Jason was manipulating the wind.

"Stop helping him blondie!" Clarisse roared as she shot a ball of flames at Jason, who collapsed onto the ground. The air around me was released and I was plummeting towards Clarisse.

I flailed around uselessly as Clarisse shout a pillar of flame at me, which would've burnt me into a crisp. But Piper wasn't kidding when she said we can only be harmed but not killed.

The heat was so intense that I felt my bones like it was on fire, but I wasn't dead.

Yet.

The attack sent me flying backwards, plummeting into the ground. Again, in instinct (my instinct is helping me a lot nowadays, which is saying much), I spread my arms. The air around me moved, carrying me and hovering me just above the ground.

"Five elements?" Jason exclaimed. "Percy, punch me to make sure I'm not dreaming,"

"Is that an offer?"

"I think I got it!" I said and hovered down. Clarisse was ready to kill me, but I sidestepped and pushed her, using her own momentum to make her fall. Clarisse stood up, ready to burn me into a crisp, but I yelled "Stop!"

Clarisse stopped, but she glared daggers at me. "What? Do you want to say a few things before I send you to your grave?" She threatened.

"I think I know what my power is," I said. Well, I don't really know, but I have an idea of what it might be. "Hit me," I said at Clarisse. This time, Clarisse stared at me as if I dropped from space.

"What?" She said.

"Hit me with your fire powers," I said, getting into the idea.

"That was my plan all along," Clarisse growled as she fired a firebolt at me. I braced myself and took it. That idiotic move made my fly a few meters back and landed on the ground roughly. I was too excited to register the pain. Clarisse had a smug look on her face as I stood up, grunting.

"Watch," I said. I tried Jason's method of trying to use my powers. My hands lit up with flames. "See?"

"We get that," Jason said. "What are you trying to say?"

"Okay, Percy, hit me with your powers," I said.

Percy frowned. "You sure?" He asked. I nodded. By the time, everyone was confused. Even Clarisse looked baffled. "Okay then," Percy conjured a stream of water from his hands and shot it towards me. Immediately, the flames in my hands were extinguished.

In return, spheres of water floated around me, moving along with my hand motions.

"Oh," Annabeth said. She turned towards Jason, Percy and Piper. They looked like they were having a mental discussion. Then, she turned towards me. "We need to see Chiron,"

 **Line Break**

The Big House was like the White House of America. That's the HQ of the place and that's where every meeting was held. Funny enough, that's also where they were discussing about my fate.

Chiron was an old guy in a tweed jacket and was in a wheelchair. He was someone that you would look at and thought to be someone's great uncle.

"So, what do we have here?" Chiron looked at me. Behind me were Percy, Jason and Annabeth. They were like the commanding trio in this place, which I don't mind. They were cool.

"Uh, my name's Ai, sir," I tried to be as polite as I could.

Chiron smiled at me. "There's no need to be afraid, my child. I don't bite,"

"Well, sometimes," Percy muttered. Annabeth elbowed him.

"Can you explain what happen?" Chiron asked.

I tried explaining as best as I could with Annabeth, Percy and Jason filling in the details I forgot. With every word, Chiron's expression never changed.

By the time I was finished, Chiron leaned back,

"From what I heard, you are not an Elementalist."

That sent a look of shock on everyone's face. "What do you mean, Chiron?" Annabeth asked.

Chiron took a deep breath. "Long ago, there was a group of people that are the same as you are. But they are far more powerful. They're called Daydreamers,"

"That's actually a cool name," Jason said.

"You know that Elementalists could manipulate elements, right?" Chiron asked. We all nodded. "Daydreamers are different. They could create anything imaginable and bring it to life."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked.

Chiron turn towards me. "You say that every time a different kind of element made contact with your skin, you have control over that element, correct?"

"Yes sir,"

"That's the first sign of a Daydreamer. You have not yet unlocked your full potential to be a Daydreamer, but you have the basics. Your brain remembers the last thing that hit you and transform that memory into your powers. If you train more, you can conjure up other elements with ease."

"So, why haven't we heard of these group of people before?" Percy asked.

Chiron's face turned grim. "They were killed."

The atmosphere got dark really quickly. "Why?" Percy asked, deciding to break the silence.

"Elementalists back in the day were savage and uncivilized. They were divided into factions according to their respective elements. These factions were always at war, to determine who would rule everything." We waited for him to continue. "The Daydreamer faction was a neutral side. They didn't want to be involved in the war. But they possess such strong powers that if they couldn't be made allies, they were a potential threat. So, they got killed. One by one. It's been a long time since I've seen a Daydreamer."

I gulped down the lump in my throat. "Are you gonna, um, you know,"

Chiron smiled. "No need to worry, Ai. You are safe in this camp. No one here will kill you,"

"Except for Thalia," Percy offered. "And Clarisse." Again, Annabeth elbowed him.

"Anyways," Chiron said. "It's time for lunch. Why don't you show our newcomer the mess hall?"

They nodded and headed outside, waiting for me to follow them. Before I head out, Chiron called. "Ai," I turned around facing him. "Learn to control your powers. Not all Elementalists are friendly, at least the ones outside this camp. There are others out there, and most of them still don't tolerate with your existence very well."

I almost wanted to crawl into a hole. But I managed to nod before heading outside. My head was swirling with thoughts about how I would survive outside if what Chiron said was true.

When I was outside, Jason and Percy were giving me sympathetic looks. That was the last thing I need: pity. "It'll be fine." Annabeth said. "You're safe here. No one can harm you and even if they wanted to, they're gonna have to go through me," She looked at me with a reassuring smile.

I was not convinced.

Chiron had basically told me that I was a danger to the others and myself. How can you be a danger to yourself? Anyway, it wasn't helping with my self confidence.

"Thanks," I managed, though I think they could see through my expression that I was not having a good time. "Can I sleep? It's been a tiring day,"

Annabeth looked a bit worried. "We don't really have a cabin for Daydreamers . . ."

I was about to leave the camp when Percy interrupted, "That's fine. He'll stay with me." Percy gave me a lopsided grin. "I'm sure Chiron wouldn't mind,"

 **Line Break**

"Come on in, make yourself at home," Percy invited. I nervously stepped inside. It looks like Percy was the only one living in his cabin, which was at the beach section of the camp. There were half a dozen of bunk beds in the room and only one looked recently used. "Pick whichever bed you like. It's not like anyone will be here other than us."

The interior of the cabin looked a lot like a fancy beach cabin. Its ceiling was low and the wooden walls smelled nice. A fountain was placed near the far wall facing the sea, spewing water and creating a thin layer of fog on the floor. If you looked at it at the right angle, the fountain would create a miniature rainbow.

Aside from that, there's a floating shark figurine right above us. It wasn't alive, but the way it dangled by itself with the tail swishing back and forth made it look like it was swimming in the air.

All in all, it was awesome.

"You live here alone?" I asked in awe.

"I used to," I sensed a change in his tone, which probably meant I was entering his sensitive zone. "My twin sister left a while ago and never came back,"

"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to,"

Percy smiled sadly. "It's okay. I'm over it. We live and we die. That's how life works, right?" Percy shook his head. "Enough of that. Go and clean up. I think I have a shirt and jeans you can use. It's lunch time and I'm starving."

So I did exactly that. I hit the showers and cleaned myself up. I tried not to think too much about my situation right now. After knowing a bit of Percy's past, I realized that perhaps not everyone in this camp had it easy. They all probably had had bad experiences which led them here. And being here is what made them happy.

So, I wasn't going to be a little bitch and complain.

I got out and went to where Percy was waiting outside. "Damn, never knew we were the same size," Percy whistled.

"Barely. I think I'm too small for your clothes,"

Percy laughed. "At least you're not butt naked. Let's go to the mess hall."

 **Line Break**

Do you know that feeling as a new kid when you go into a room and everyone looked at you as if you're the one who trashed to school hallway?

That's what I got when I walked into the mess hall.

From outisde, I could hear the chatter and the rousing atmosphere inside. The moment Percy and I entered, the place quieted down. Every pair of eyes were staring at me, but I could feel some were glaring rather than staring. The atmosphere became tense. It was so quiet that you could hear it if a fly landed on your food.

I'm not even kidding.

"Nothing to see here," Percy announced. "Unless you want me to freeze your drinks." They got the message and went back to their conversations. "Come on, you can sit with me and the others,"

The mess hall was like what you would see if you mix the school cafeteria with military cafeteria. It creates a weird kind of eating place. Added with more than a hundred kids with superpowers, that just made the mess hall even more dense. That one didn't even make any sense but fuck it.

We moved to a table where Annabeth was sitting along with Piper. When we sat down, Piper shot me with the question: "Is it true you're a rare kind of Elementalist?"

I raised an eyebrow at Annabeth. She held her hands up defensively. "Hey, girls gossip you know,"

"Piper, you made him sound like a species facing extinction," Percy smirked.

"I feel a lot better," I muttered. "But yeah, I'm a Daydreamer."

Piper stared at me. "You don't look that different,"

"Don't blame me on how I look," I said. "It's not until Percy showed up that my life got upside down,"

Percy held his hands up innocently. "Don't look at me, Thalia was the one who threw me through the window,"

"Speaking of which, what were you guys doing anyway?" I asked. "Why did you crash through the window on that particular day?"

"Fate played a part in it," Percy said smugly.

Annabeth coughed, "Along with big egoes," Percy glared at her while Piper laughed.

"Basically," Piper started. "Thalia, Percy and Annabeth were supposed to gather information when Percy thought it was a good idea to duel to pass the time."

"As Elementalists," Annabeth offered. "We can duel whoever we want. It's an old tradition that's been going on longer before we were born. A duel to the death. It's up to the contestants to choose the place and time. Anyone who participates in a duel, their fate is in their own hands. No one can interfere and no help will be given. You are on your own,"

"Sounds lovely," I muttered. I turned back towards Piper. "Go on,"

"In our camp, we bend the traditions a little. When we duel, no fatalities allowed. Injuries are accepted but any permanant injuries like losing an arm or a leg will get you punished,"

"By whom?"

Piper switched glances between Percy and Annabeth. "We don't really know. Chiron oversees the punishment, but we never knew what he did to them. The only thing I know is that we never see them again,"

"You guys look like you were having a serious conversation," Jason joined our table. "Is there someone you're trying to assasinate,"

"Well, our next target was this blonde idiot who controls lightning," Percy smirked. Jason glared at him and sent a spark at Percy. Percy winced in pain. "That was unnecessary,"

"I know," Jason grinned.

I don't know how, or why, but a tray flew over my head and landed directly in front of Piper. "Oh, lunch's here," I turned around, looking for whoever might've thrown that. "Don't bother looking. You won't see them anyway."

" _Them_?" I asked.

"Wind spirits. They deliver us food from the kitchen when it's ready." Piper explained. Right on cue, a light breeze blew past me and a silver tray landed on the table spot in front of me. It's filled with a brisket of meat and some fries. Naturally, it smelled great.

"Bon apetite?" I asked. Piper smiled and nodded. I looked around to see that the food for the others have already arrived and they were digging in.

So I did too.

The food filled me with warmth that seems to bring out the best memories I had. I remembered a faded scene where my mom and dad used to be together and we were having dinner in our old house. It was a fun night. I might've even teared up a little remembering that moment.

"The food does that to you," Percy offered. "They're cooked with such passion that you tend to recall the best moments of your life."

I nodded as I continued to eat.

 **Line Break**

After lunch, Annabeth decided it's better that I can get some sort of grip over my powers. Which was basically saying I have another chance to make a fool out of myself again.

So Annabeth, Jason, Percy, Piper and I gathered in the arena to train. Jason stood in front of me about a few meters away. Annabeth was explaining things.

"The key element in manipulating your element is to know where to find it. For example, if there's a nearby puddle, Percy can manipulate it to his wishes. Jason can manipulate the air around him. It's simple," I raised my hand up to ask a question.

"Yes, Ai?"

"Can you create your element? I mean, Thalia created lightning and I think she became lightning."

Annabeth nodded. "Thalia didn't create lightning. The air around us are filled with electrical charges. She just manipulated them. You can create your elements, but we tend not do it. It exhaust us quickly in battles and if you use it too much, you're gonna drain out the magical flow in your body,"

"And if that happens?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "You'll no longer be able to use your powers. Like, ever. You're gonna be a normal kid for the rest of your life. At least that's the good ending. The bad ending is that if you exhaust the magical flow in your body, you're gonna blow up to pieces, which is more likely."

I gulped. "Don't create elements. Got it,"

"The first step in controlling your element, is to empty your mind," Annabeth started.

"Typical," I muttered.

"Now, you're a Daydreamer. From what Chiron said, you can bring your imagination to life." Annabeth showed me a picture of flames. "Now, try and manipulate the fire." Annabeth nudged at a torch that she's holding.

I tried clearing my mind, which was hard, by the way. I tried focusing on the flames. My gut turned upside down. I motioned my hand upwards. A stream of flame came out from the torch, following my motions.

"Impressive," Annabeth said. "Now, try firing it,"

"Excuse me?"

Annabeth stepped forward, setting the torch down. "Anything you can move or manipulate can be used as a weapon. Either as a projectile or an armour or a shield, doesn't matter. It fits your need." Annabeth stepped next to me. "Trying sending the flames at Jason,"

"I didn't volunteer for this," Jason grumbled.

"It'll be fine," Annabeth waved him off. "Try thrusting your hand forward. That's the basic way to send a projectile towards your opponent. Will the fire to be in front of you and then thrust forward,"

I nodded. I focused on the levitating flames above me and willed it to move slowly towards me. I don't know how, but it happened.

"Excellent," Annabeth said. "Now, fire,"

I thrusted my hand forward. The flames went flying at the speed of like ten miles per hour. It wasn't the speed of a speeding bullet and Jason evaded it easy enough as the fireball dissolved into the air.

"Huh," I sighed. "Not quite what I expected,"

"You did well for a newbie," Percy assured. "It took me a whole week just for me to move water,"

"Try throwing it," Piper suggested. "Other than thrusting, throwing is another way to send projectiles at your enemy." I nodded. I willed another ball of flame from the previous torch. I set it close to my hand and looked at Jason.

"You ready?" I asked.

"Not really, but bring it," Jason said. I made a baseball pitch with a fireball as my baseball. It moved too fast for any of us to catch it. The next thing I knew was that Jason was flying across the arena and landed on the ground roughly with a scorch mark on the chest area of his shirt. He coughed and groaned. "Oh god," He muttered. "That was painful,"

"You did it!" Percy gave me a high-five. I was feeling excited.

"Well done, Ai," Annabeth congratulated me. "You're one fast learner,"

Then, the door of the arena creaked open. "So that means I can smash him into a pulp now?" We turned around and see Clarisse and the rest of her gang. "Because I have some unfinished business with that grease spot,"

"Back off, Clarisse," Annabeth's tone turned serious. "We're training,"

"Training huh?" Clarissed grinned evilly. "Well, to train a person, it's best to put him through the real thing rather than training. So, I'm gonna help. I challenge him to a duel,"

Everyone stared at me. I was tired of being bullied. I was tired of being treated like someone who's not important. Anger overwhelmed me. "Fine. I accept,"

While the others looked worried for me, Clarisse smirked smugly. "Let's get it on then. Right here, right now."

"Whatever you say,"

Everyone cleared the arena and head for the stance as Clarisse and I stayed in the arena. "Traditional rules. Any kind of harm is allowed. You're allowed to use powers, no fatal and permanent injuries allowed. Understood?"

"Bring it," I said. I don't know where this confidence came from, but it was going to get me killed.

Or so I thought.

Clarisse started off simple by throwing fireballs at me at a rapid pace. I started to run to avoid being burnt into a crisp. I felt the air around me and I started to use it to make my steps lighter, making me run faster. I was waiting for that one moment when she would hesitate.

Clarisse was consistent in keeping me in my toes. Her attacks were relentless. But I knew she was tiring. But so was I. I had to be patient. I waited for the right moment.

As soon as Clarisse was hesitant for a microsecond, I lunged at her, using the wind to help me. I conjured up water and splashed it at her legs, instantly freezing it so she's frozen on the spot, literally.

Clarisse grunted as she struggled to move. In desperation, she tried to melt the ice with her flames. I saw my chance and took it. I stomped my feet on the ground. A boulder half the size of me jumped out of the ground. I kicked it with full force, sending it towards Clarisse.

It hit Clarisse straight on, releasing her from the ice and sending her crashing onto the walls. Clarisse grunted and stood up. "That's it. I'm gonna kill you!" She yelled.

"Clarisse!" Percy tried to stop her, but she was already sprinting.

Something took over me. I don't know what, but something did. It felt like my eyes flared up and glared daggers at Clarisse. I thrust my hand at her feet, pinning her on the spot.

The ground had somehow swallowed her feet up to her ankles. She struggled but to no avail. I held my hands up, doing something that I don't know. Either I'm possessed by something or I'm doing this by instinct. Probably a bit of both. A sharp pain entered my head and it wasn't stopping.

I heard people gasping and screaming while pointing at the sky. Clarisse looked scared. Like, _really_ scared. She looked at me desperately, wanting me to let her out.

I looked up and saw why.

A freaking meteor was falling from the sky. It was a massive rock that you'd see in catapults and it was on fire. That was the bad news.

The really bad news?

It was heading straight at us.

 **A/N: There it is. Mega cliffhanger. The bad news is that I won't be updating this until December. I just needed to get the idea off of my head. It's been taking up space in there and I need the space. Anyway, leave a review if you like or hate it, like I said, a review always helps. Until then, take care.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I hate you guys for giving awesome reviews that led me to writing another chapter when I said I wasn't going to update until December. I hate myself for doing this instead of studying. Well, here you go. Another chapter.**

 **Side Note: This chapter should've gone up sooner, but for some weird reason, I lost all my work and I had to redo everything from scratch. Fuck.**

 **Chapter 2**

I stared at the huge flaming rock that was coming towards us. Clarisse was frantic to get out of her spot while I stood still. Instinct took over me.

Damn, I had to thank my instincts. They're saving my life more times than I could count.

I got to a steady stance and waited for the meteor to come crashing down on us.

"What are you doing?!" Clarisse demanded. "Release me and get me out of here!"

I inhaled and exhaled slowly. I extended my hands forward, determined to stop that flaming rock of death, even though I knew it was impossible.

The first thing I felt was massive amount of heat coming from in front of me. Then, the force slammed into me all at once, making me feel like I'm being hit by a bullet train at terminal velocity. My feet were now ankle deep in the ground as I was pushed a few meters back. Every muscle in my body screamed with pain and every bone was vibrating violently.

Then, I was slowly stopping. The force of the meteor was decreasing to a stop. I could hear Clarisse screaming behind me as I ground to a halt.

After that, everything went black.

 **Line Break**

I never had weird dreams before. Even if I did, it would be funny but blurry.

When I slept in this camp, the dreams were strange and vivid.

I was in a dark room, but I could see myself clearly. It was like 'outer space' kind of darkness. I saw nothing around me and heard nothing but sobbing and sniffing.

I tried moving, but it was more like trying to walk on space. Do you guys ever tried made walking motion when you're trying to stay afloat on water? That's what it felt like.

So I walked, or maybe drifted, forward. The sobbing got louder as I got closer to . . . something. The atmosphere was weird. It was dense and damp, like in your typical sewer.

When I got close, something appeared into view. It was a prison cell. The inside was dimly lit, but you could see the person in there.

She had long black hair and wore a silvery warrior's dress. Her body shook as she so vccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc qqqqqqqqbbed. Her hands and feet were bleeding and her body was filled with cuts. Her wrists were shackled loosely onto the wall, but it didn't look like she could get out of it. She sniffed and sobbed.

Then, she looked straight at me.

"Ai, please come . . ." She cried out.

At first, I thought she meant someone behind me because I know I'm dreaming. But then again, who else in the world has a name like Ai?

Aside from that, how did she know me? I don't even know her.

I was dragged out of my thoughts when the girl screamed in pain before the scene dissolved and I woke up in a cold sweat. My forehead was beaded with sweat and I was panting heavily with my hand trembling.

I tried to calm myself and looked around, scanning the surroundings. I was in the infirmary. Every muscle in my body ached and my joints felt like molten lead.

I saw Annabeth sitting next to my bed, reading something. I grunted as I tried to sit upright. She looked up from her book and looked at me. The fact that her face was devoid of emotion was what unnerved me.

"You're awake," Annabeth said simply, turning her attention back to the book.

"I think so," I said. "Unless this is a dream,"

"Elementalists tend to have weird dreams. Be glad it wasn't a nightmare," Annabeth seemed harsh, like she was mad at me for something.

"Is everyone okay?"

"They're pretty shaken up. I doubt Clarisse would bother you again after a stunt like that. Aside from that, everything's fine except for the big boulder now sitting in the middle of the arena." Annabeth set her book down on the nightstand next to my bed. She looked at me with a steely look, like how a police would look at you before an intense interrogation. "How did you do it?"

"Do what? The meteor?" I asked. Annabeth nodded. "Hey, that was just a coincidence. I didn't know a meteor would come crashing down during our fight."

"Coincidence, huh?" Annabeth leaned back but kept looking at me. "The camp is protected by a magic barrier. Anything that wants to come in without permission will be blocked. Birds, insects and even the rain will be blocked by the barrier. Once, a car came flying into this camp. The barrier held and the car exploded, protecting everything inside. So, should a meteor crashed down onto this camp, the barrier would've blocked it. But somehow, this one managed to get through and it happened during your duel with Clarisse." Then, she glared at me. "But I guess it was all just a _coincidence_ , right?"

Annabeth is scary when she's like this. "I don't know what happened, but I assure you it's not my fault." I managed.

Annabeth looked like she wanted to hit me, but someone else moved into view. It was Chiron. "That's enough, Annabeth," Chiron said, putting a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. He turned his attention towards me. "Are you okay, Ai?"

"I think so," I said. "I didn't do it, I swear I didn't."

"I believe that you did, but I believe that you didn't either,"

Annabeth frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What do you feel when you were battling Clarisse? Anger? Hatred?" Chiron asked me.

"I was angry that Clarisse was being a bully," I admitted. "I didn't like how she categorized me as a weakling." Chiron nodded in understanding.

"This is a sure sign you're a Daydreamer. As you know, a Daydreamer's greatest weapon is his imagination. The ammo for the weapons are emotions." Chiron leaned back a bit. "It's known that your imaginations varies to your emotion. This seems to be the case for Daydreamers as well. The stronger your emotions are, the stronger your powers will be. Some would consider anger to be the best fuel for a Daydreamers' powers. Some would disagree as anger clouds the mind."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked.

"None of what happened is your fault, Ai," Chiron assured me with a smile. "But you need to control your emotion. Using your powers based on emotions can be fatal for you. It's the same like exhausting the magical force inside you."

I nodded. Just when I felt like I belonged, I screwed things up. I felt like if I stayed here any longer, I would end up destroying this place. Something I don't want to do. I don't want to take this beautiful home away from these people. Even if it was unintentional.

"Chiron," I muttered. "I think it's best that I leave this camp,"

Annabeth stared at me like I just dropped off from space while Chiron just sighed. "I can't say I didn't see this coming. Although I disagree with your decision, I won't stop you. We will prepare everything for your journey,"

I nodded. "Get some rest now," Chiron said.

 **Line Break**

I stood on top of a hill overlooking the camp. A huge pine tree stood on top of the hill, making it a perfect landmark for this camp. Percy, Jason and Piper were there as well to bid me farewell.

"Are you sure about this?" Percy asked. "It's a lot safer in here,"

I chuckled. "I doubt that. Not after what I did with Clarisse and Thalia." I looked at the camp one more time. Suddenly, the weird terrains of volcanoes and iron mines didn't seem that weird. It seemed . . . peaceful. "And yes, I'm sure of this. Me being here is a danger to all of you. I don't want any of you to get hurt."

"Well, just so you know," Jason grinned. "There'll be always a place for you right here. You'll know where to find us."

I smiled. It's only been a few days, but it felt like I was leaving my best friends behind. Piper stepped forward and looked at me. "Give me your hand," Piper said. I shrugged and offered her my hand. She traced her index finger across my palm, drawing something that I couldn't make out. When she was done, my head felt a little light.

"What was that?" I asked.

"If you ever need help, just give us a call," She said, which didn't really explain much.

I said my goodbyes and headed down the other side of the hill.

Heading home.

 **Line Break**

I never thought that going back to my house would feel weird. It's only been like two days, but it felt like I haven't set foot in my house since forever.

I entered my house, which looked just like how I left it.

"Home sweet home," I muttered to myself. I didn't waste any time in going to the shower to clean myself up.

As I turned on the shower, I tried my best not to feel miserable about myself. I used my powers and played with a stream of water around me, making them hover and float around in midair.

How can I put something like this behind me? How can I live normally if I know what I'm actually capable of? I tried calming myself down before killing myself by letting my powers loose.

The stream of water dropped down and splashed onto the floor. I sighed as I closed the pipe and wiped myself off. I got dressed and sat down quitely, facing the television.

It wasn't until then that I realized how much of a boring life I had. I really had nothing to do considering I didn't go to school for the past two days, leaving me with no homework.

Out of frustration and boredom, I grabbed my car keys and head outside.

Oh yeah, I have a car. A Porsche convertible. Like I said, my parents are filthy rich on both sides.

Technically, I'm still underage to drive until October, but hey. who cares?

I took my time driving to a nearby mall, one of the famous spots in the whole neighbourhood. Since it was a school day, it shouldn't be that crowded.

I parked nearby and entered. Something felt weird the moment I stepped into the mall. The place seemed more . . . compact. There weren't a lot of people around, but suddenly I felt like my skin was being pressed gently against my body, making me feel like at the bottom of a fifteen feet swimming pool, with the pressure squeezing on me.

I never got that sensation when I entered this place before, but I ignored it. I didn't really plan on buying anything. I was just out to get rid of my boredom.

So I walked around, looking at shit. I got to the third floor and went to the center of the mall. The center of the mall was like a huge roundabout, where you could see the ground floor from the floors above. The ceiling was a dome like structure made out of glass, so sunlight can go through and light up the place.

All in all, it was beautiful.

I leaned against the railing and looked around, taking in the scenery. Suddenly, a girl walked up and leaned on the spot next to me. It was a bit weird, considering there was a lot of space for her to lean on and she was being uncomfortably close. And I got the feeling she was staring at me.

"Hey," She greeted. I finally got over my uncomfortness (is that a word?) and turned towards her. At first glance, she was what I would categorize as a biker girl.

Her hair was raven black and flowed down her neck. She wore a black leather jacket along with black jeans and boots. Something that only a mean person would wear. Her eyes were sea green, which seemed familiar. She didn't wear any makeup or have any piercings, which was nice because I would've chased her away.

"Hey," I greeted back.

"What are you doing?" She smiled, inching closer at me.

This was getting uncomfortable really fast. "Uh, nothing," I said. "Do I know you?"

The girl actually laughed. "My name is Cynthia Jackson," She offered her hand.

Well, she is a bit familiar. Maybe she's someone from school. "Uh, Ai Rayner," I shook her hand.

Kids, remember when your mom always told you to not to talk to strangers? Please remember that advice for as long as you live and remember to pass it down to your kids.

When I shook her hand, something overwhelmed me. It felt like some invisible things were wrapping themselves around me. My expression must've shown it because Cynthia laughed.

"I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book," Cynthia said between laughs. "I guess Chiron didn't teach you anything huh?"

I tried moving again, but it just felt like my whole body was cemented. "Don't even bother," Cynthia said. "I'm a Psychic Elementalists. A Seducer, at that. I told your brain that you are not capable of moving from this position unless I tell you to." Cynthia put her hand on her right ear, as if listening to an earpiece. "I got him right here. Get ready to extract the package." She said before grinning at me.

I didn't know how, but I managed to talk. "Who are you?"

Cynthia looked genuinely amazed. "Wow, you managed to talk." Cynthia clapped. "You're a strong one. Well, for your efforts, I'll tell you. I am part of a special task force founded by every faction of Elementalists in the world. We are like the special units inside the FBI. We get rid of troublemakers or potential troublemakers," She pointed at me. "Like you,"

"I did nothing wrong," My jaw felt stiff and hard to move.

Cynthia chuckled. "You did nothing wrong _yet_ ," She added. "The Council was afraid that you'll be a potential threat, so you're on their shit list."

"The Council?" I was trying to stall for time while trying to figure out a way to escape from her psychic grip.

"A group of united leaders from each faction to discuss everything. It's like humans' United Nation." Cynthia shook her head. "You really don't know anything, do you? Were you kicked out of camp?" My eyes widened. "Yeah, we knew they took you in. Unfortunately, we have no means of attacking them . . . _yet_."

Dread filled my heart. They had intentions to attack Percy and the others. That probably sparked some kind of emotion in me that made my power work. I took a deep breath and let out a torrent of flames from my mouth, aiming at Cynthia. Her reflexes were good as she rolled out of the way. In turn, she released her psychic grip on me.

It felt so good to move again. I wasted no time in running away. I heard her growling and started to chase me. "Target has escaped. I repeat, target has escaped and is on the run."

I pushed past walking people, who glared and yelled at me for pushing. Why is it whenever we're trying to run away from something, it seems crowded than it is before?

Anyway, I was running as fast as I could. Instinctively, I dived to the side, crashing into the mannequin models of a clothing shop. The good news, no one was hurt.

The bad news, it was a lingerie shop for women. Which made it even more awkward when I rushed into the fitting room without hesitation.

I took a minute to catch my breath. An organization called the Council wants me dead, I'm being pursued by a group of deadly assassins, I have no backup whatsoever and I haven't even mastered a fraction of my power to defend myself in case I get caught.

How could life get any worse?

By not realizing the women inside the fitting room with me.

"Ai?" A feminine voice said, which made me stiff. I hesitated to look up because when I saw her legs, I could assume that she probably had nothing on. But with adrenaline rushing and a master assassin hot on your tail, you tend to skip little details like that.

I looked up, I saw one of my best friends in school and my crush, Liz.

Let's do a quick introduction.

Liz was the kind of girl that was shy at first but when you know them closer, they're actually very open. She had black hair that flowed all the way to her chest with several brown streaks. In my opinion, she's cute with a slim and athletic figure along with a smile that could make me melt.

I'm getting off track here. Let's get back to the real situation.

So I looked up to see Liz, a bra in her hands and she's covering her top body. "Liz?" I asked, completely oblivious to the fact that she's naked in front of me.

We stared in each other's eyes for a moment before she shrieked and turned away. Me, being the idiot I am, just realized the situation that we were in. I turned around quickly and closed my eyes. "Sorry!"

"What were you thinking barging into a women's fitting room?!" Liz almost yelled as she rushed to put on her clothes. "Or did you mistook the shop for a DVD rental?"

"Look, I was in a bit of a hurry. It's not like I expected this to happen,"

"Where've you been anyway? You disappeared for two days,"

"I'll tell you later." I said. Just then, the door to the fitting room opened, revealing Cynthia. And she looked pissed. I widened my eyes in surprise.

"Miss me?" She growled at me. She tried to grab me, but I kicked her square on the chest, sending her to the floor. I glanced at Liz to see she was already fully dressed and everything.

"Look, I'll explain later. Just, stay safe. And sorry about earlier," I said before running away again, crashing onto a rack of lingerie before picking up my pace again.

"Get back here!" I heard Cynthia shout.

I had to get out of this place or it's just gonna be one big cat and mouse chase..

I head for the nearest window I could find and jumped out of it. It seemed like a good idea in my head and a bit more awesome in movie shots, but I didn't fully think it through.

Why?

Because I jumped out of the window from the third floor.

 _Anymore dumbass ideas?_ I grumbled to myself.

Then, I felt myself being held in midair. It wasn't like a psychic grip. It was more like the air around me was holding me, so I assumed it was the work of a Wind Elementalist.

Below me, a guy with a mask stood still and looked at me with his hand extended at me. Along with the blonde hair, he wore a bird-like mask with a long and sharp beaker. He had a cloack over his body, making him like a wandering monk kind of guy. He looked at me and wagged his finger.

"You haven't been a good boy, haven't you, Daydreamer?" The man said to me. He levitated me closer to him. "I'm afraid we have to punish you,"

"Lucas!" I heard Cynthia shouting. "The Council wants him _unharmed_."

The man, Lucas, stared at me for a long time, as if he's deciding to leave me be or dig my eyeballs out. "Fine. But I'm sure the Council won't mind some _necessary_ violence to capture him,"

"Do as you please, but we need him alive," Cynthia said. Then, she walked up next to me and tapped my shoulder. I looked at her to see her giving me a sympathetic smile. If I wasn't in the situation I'm in, I would've believed her. "Lucas is a sadist. I hope you'll be sane after his treatment because we need you to be to answer some questions."

That did not sound good.

 **Line Break**

It didn't take long for me to be on the ground, feeling so much pain.

Lucas was a dual wielder. He could manipulate the wind and lightning, which made it even worse because he was interested in torturing me. Cynthia just watched from the sidelines with a smirk on her face.

Lucas layed a finger on my forehead again before millions of volts of electricity coursed through my body. I screamed in agony as my body felt like it's being punctured by thousands of needles.

That's the thing with sadist. The more you scream, the more they like it. The more they like it, the more they do it. The more they do it, the more you scream. It's like a vicious cycle of life.

Electricity coursed through my body one more time, making my mind blurry. You know the expression, 'my brain is fried'? Don't ever use it. You don't know how it feels like to have a friend brain unless you get electrocuted.

Several times.

By now, I lost count how many times he electrocuted me. I lost the ability to think straight and my body was literally steaming.

"I'm impressed," Lucas said. "Most would pass out by now,"

That was probably what he said, but I was in so much pain I barely registered what he said. My body twitched sometimes from the aftershock of the electrocution.

I tried to think straight. If your powers won't get you through this, thinking might.

Unfortunately, I lost the ability to do so five electrocutions ago.

I tried to concentrate. Cynthia was a Psychic Elementalist while Lucas has both feet in wind and lightning major. Cynthia can't do a thing on me unless she touches me, that sounded wrong, and she's a few meters back. The main problem here is Lucas. Even if I could run, which I'm not in shape to do so, he could just pull me back with his wind powers. Even if he didn't use them, he could reach me with lightning since electrical charges are everywhere.

So I had to make it that there was no wind or electricity around for him to get me, which was impossible since they're everywhere.

That was what Annabeth said when I asked her about Thalia. When she crashed onto our class that day, she turned into lightning and-

. . .

Oh. My. God.

For that moment, I was really, _really_ glad that I hadn't slept during Physics class.

Chiron said everything I imagined could be made real. So if this could work, then I might have a chance. Of course, I have no idea what kind of effect it would have on the human body without the proper equipment, but I was in such a panic that I didn't bother to think about it.

I mustered what energy I had left and clasped my hands together. Lucas laughed. "Are you saying your prayers, Daydreamer? Very well then," Lucas raised his foot above my head, ready to knock me out.

I opened my hand and my ears dulled instantly.

Vacuum, as told by my Physics' teacher, was a space void of matter. It's a space where matters like electrical charges don't exist. It's been recorded that humans have survived in a vaccummed space, but that was like with special suits on. In my case, it was an act of emergency.

The vacuum instantly expanded outwards, forming a dome like shape around me. My eyesight went fuzzy and my ears felt like they were at the deepest part of the ocean. My body felt strangely heavy and light at the same time and I felt like being pulled around, like a clown on a tightrope, being forced to tilt left and right.

I gave one yell and ran as fast as I could.

"Get him!" Cynthia shouted.

I could feel the air around me shifted, but nothing happen. "The thing, it protects him," Lucas growled. I ran away from them for as fast as I could, which must've been slow because my feet felt like lead.

Eventually, somehow, I made it back home.

And Liz was there. What a surprise.

She had her arms crossed and was glaring at me, which were the least of my concerns as I have just escaped two deadly assassins.

"Explain. Now." She said.

"Let's get inside first," I wheezed. "I need to sit down,"

The vacuum space that I'd created had disappeared before I even arrived here, which was a relief because my brain felt retarded for not getting enough air.

I pushed Liz inside and locked the door behind me before collapsing on the spot. The last thing I heard was Liz calling my name and rushing towards me.

 **Line Break**

I understand that Elementalists have dreams, but to dream about your own fate seems kind of . . . stupid.

I was in a barren wasteland. It was more like a desolated, post-apocalyptic planet kind of place. Everything seems grey and dull. The cracked ground was greyish in colour and the wind blew dryly. It was like somewhere the main character would be before an epic boss fight.

I really have a strange way of explaining things.

I could see mountains in the distance, clouds churning above me with thunder rumbling wildly. Behind me was what looked like a wall that stretched sideways for as far as I could see. Directly behind me was a huge doorway, leading to who knows where.

I turned around once more and what was once an unoccupied space of barren land, was now filled with people. Elementalists, to be exact. How do I know? Because some of them were flying and some had flaming hands.

The worst part?

They looked like they wanted to murder me.

In front of the army of Elementalists were some old friends, Lucas and Cynthia, along with some unrecognizable faces, but I was sure they were just as deadly.

A raspy voice boomed out of nowhere. _You stand alone against us. You're fighting an unwinnable battle. Why don't you run, Daydreamer? After all, that's what you're best at._

I wanted to argue, but my mouth was glued shut by something.

 _You ran from your friends and you ran from your enemy. It's what you've been doing and it's what you'll always do. Run._

I held the urge to run. I know he's challenging me, but I'm facing an army of the enemy forces. If I had some kind of backup, running wouldn't seem so inviting. But I'm alone. No one was with me. I was tempted to run. I know I could if I tried, but for some reason I stayed still.

A strange urge to defend overwhelmed me. I had to do this. I had to face the army before me, even if it's the last thing I'll do. I had to hold them back.

Then, the scene dissolved and I woke up in my living room.

The place was silent except for the sound of the air conditioner and my own breathing. Then, my nose picked up a smell. It was . . . lunch.

I got up and followed the smell. As I got closer to the kitchen, I could hear the sound of something being grilled and someone humming. I walked in to see Liz in an apron, cooking.

I cleared my throat, earning her attention. I thought she would flip and get mad at me for passing out on her, but instead she just smiled. "About time you wake up,"

"How long was I out?" I asked, scratching my head.

Liz shrugged. "Maybe four or five hours."

"And you waited for me?"

"Well, I slept for a while. When I woke up, I got bored. So I explored your house. I hope you don't mind." Liz smiled apologetically.

"Well, it's not like I hid some bodies around. I don't really mind," I said before taking a seat near the counter. I waited Liz for a few more seconds before she presented me with her dish. It wasn't anything fancy, but I was so tired that even the bacon and eggs looked like a Thanksgiving turkey.

"Dig in," Liz said as she set up a plate of the same meal for herself.

"I didn't know you could cook,"

"Well, I can't actually show you that I could cook in class," Liz said, taking a bite out of her bacon strip. "But yeah, there's a lot of things you don't know about me. And I could say the same about you,"

I noticed where she's going with this. I sighed. I took a bite out of my bacon before talking. "So, allow me to explain . . ."

 **Line Break**

By the time I was finished, she looked like she was trying to decide whether the plate in front of her would fly on its own or not.

"So," Liz started. "In this world, there're people who can manipulate the elements. And you can manipulate your imagination, because that's not overpowered as fuck,"

I shrugged. "Good point,"

"And since you're so overpowered, this organization called the Council, which consists of differentt leaders from each Elementalist factions, has decreed that you're captured." Liz summed up. "Which leads to you being chased by a couple of deadly assassins who specialize in inflicting pain in a maximum level,"

"Oh, don't forget. One of them has a weird bird mask."

Liz punched me on the shoulder with a grin on her face. "So, what now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, now that you're wanted by an evil organization, what do you do now?"

"Actually, I have no idea. I'm not prepared for this kind of predicament," I said. "And, uh, sorry that I dragged you into this mess."

"Nah, I don't mind. My life was boring anyway," Liz grinned.

"You mean you were bored when you went shopping for your underwear?" I smirked. Liz grabbed a butter knife and pointed the thing at me while glaring.

I never knew someone could look sinister with a freaking butter knife. "One more word about that, and I'll make sure you wake the next day without your nuts."

I gulped. "Consider me warned."

Liz smiled innocently and put the knife down. "Well, since you're now being hunted, I suggest you stay indoors. And since you can't take care of yourself, I'm gonna stay with you."

I frowned. "Is it just me, or are you looking for an excuse to stay out of school?"

Liz shrugged. "School got boring when you're gone. I missed you," As soon as she said it, I could see her eyes widened and her cheeks flushing red.

"Excuse me?" I said with a grin. "I don't think I heard you,"

Liz grumbled and grabbed the butter knife again. "You were saying?"

 **Line Break**

It took an hour for Liz to fully move in to her new home for the next few days or so. Well, she didn't technically move in. She just brought a week's worth of clothes and some things that she claimed _necessary_.

"Why would you need a baseball bat?" I asked.

Liz shrugged. "Why not? Besides, you never know when you might need one."

"I never knew you're the 'have-everything-ready' kind of girl,"

After she brought everything in, she sat down. "So, where will I be sleeping?"

"There's a spare bedroom upstairs, but it might need a little bit of cleaning,"

"Good, you're gonna help me,"

"What?"

Liz dragged me to where the spare bedroom was. I hadn't stepped in the room ever since I moved in, since I claimed the master bedroom all for my own and I live alone.

As soon as the door opened, I got that familiar 'new room' smell.

"This will take more than just a _little_ bit of cleaning." Liz muttered.

"Allow me to make things easier," I mocked a bow. I walked inside and opened the window. "You might want to cover your nose." Liz did exactly what I said. I waved my hand sideways once. A light breeze came through the window and swirled around the room, bringing the dust along with it. It swirled around for a second before going out the window, leaving the room dust free. I bowed to Liz.

"Impressive." Liz clapped once. "Not to mention, awesome."

Then, I felt something ringing in my ear. It didn't do anything to me except annoy the hell out of me. "What the heck is that?" I asked.

"What the heck was what?" Liz asked.

"That noise," I said. "Something's ringing loudly. Like a high-pitched _ping_ sound."

"I don't hear anything,"

"That's because she's not an Elementalist," A voice said from the window.

He wore a dark purplish robe with his hood on with green outlines. He stood taller than me. When I looked at his face, I see nothing but green eyes. Like, everything green. No white, not black, just everything green in his eyes. In his hand was a staff that was just as tall as him and was shaped like a trident, only the three points were placed circularly instead of alligned with each other. At the center of the circular points were some kind of green blob that just floats around that area, forming no shapes in particular.

"Who are you?" I asked, going into alert mode.

He chuckled. His voice was different. It was like he had a deep voice, but he used autotune or something like that. "I am not an enemy, Daydreamer."

"You're not a friend either," I challenged.

"Well, that's true. Think of me as an . . . acquaintance. An acquaintance who developed an interest in you," The robed man said.

"I don't know you,"

"Then allow me to introduce myself," He bowed slightly. "My name is Rubick."

"Rubick? As in the cube thing?" Liz asked.

"Pretty much, young lady." Rubick turned his attention towards me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Like I said, I developed an interest in you. I've come here to see what you looked like and how your progress in achieving your full potential. So far, my expectations exceeds me." Rubick swung his staff to the left, opening a green portal that leads to god knows where. "We will meet again soon, Daydreamer." Rubick stepped into the portal and disappeared, along with the portal.

"That was . . . weird," Liz said.

"Yeah," I muttered. "I'll be right back. I need to contact someone,"

"What about my stuff?"

"Oh, they're not _that_ heavy," I said before heading towards my bedroom.

Piper didn't really give me instructions on how to use the thing she drew on my hand. She said give us a 'call'. If she'd given me a cellphone, I would've understand. But she just traced her finger on my hand making my head light.

But hey, desperate times calls for desperate measure.

I tried talking to my hand. That sounded way cooler in my head.

"Um, hello?" I said to my palm. It felt weird. There was no answer. "Hello?" I tried again.

It was not until for a minute or so before she answered. "Did your really have to call now?"

"Hey, you were the one who told me to call if I needed help." I said.

"Well, you picked a bad time," Piper grumbled. I could hear her panting. "What can I do for you?"

 **Line Break**

"What are we waiting for?" Liz asked as she and I sat on the porch of the house, staring at the road. I have to admit, Liz looked beautiful in the sunlight.

"We're waiting for my friends," I said.

"Do they have powers too?" Liz asked. I nodded. "Great. That just makes me the weird one in the house." Right on cue, a black SUV swerved down the road and parked, well, more like skidded, onto the pavement.

Jason, Percy and Annabeth tumbled out of the back seat of the car, looking like they've just been through a roller coaster. Piper got out of the shotgun seat with her legs shaking while Thalia climbed out of the driver's seat, looking miffed. "You guys are overreacting," Thalia claimed.

"Remind me not to let her drive again," Jason grunted.

"Hey, I'm the oldest. I'm the most eligible to drive among us."

"You're also the most unsuited as a driver," Percy grumbled. Thalia sent a spark at him, which caused him to yelp in pain. Piper walked, or limped, towards me.

"Well, here we are Ai." Piper said.

"You guys looked like you've been through a scream ride," I stated out.

"It was a lot worse," Percy managed. Again, Thalia zapped him.

"Well, come inside first. Make yourselves at home." I invited them. We all went inside. Liz and I took a seat in the living room, but the others were too busy looking at stuff.

"You live here?" Percy asked. "Alone?"

"Yeah,"

"I don't understand why you would want to leave," Jason said.

"I didn't. I was kidnapped," I looked at Thalia.

Thalia shrugged. "Guilty,

"Besides, living alone can take a toll out of you sometimes." I said. After that, everyone took their seats. "Before anything, let me introduce you guys. Liz, these are my friends. That's Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Percy and Thalia," I pointed at them respectively.

"Um, hi," Liz managed. She's always shy around new people.

"Hey," Annabeth smiled at her. "I assume you know about our current situation, right?"

Liz nodded. "Ai explained everything to me."

"Well, he has to do it again," Annabeth looked at me. "Explain. Why did you bring us out here."

I took a deep breath. "So, after I left camp, I got bored. I went to the mall and this girl approached me. Her name was Cynthia, or something like that," At the mention of her name, everybody tensed. They pretended not to do it, but everyone was looking at Percy. Percy glared at everyone, sending them a message to drop the subject, whatever it was.

"Continue,"

"Well, she tried to get close. I thought she was just being friendly, until she attacked me. She said something about an organization called the Council that wants me and that she's in a special task force that's assigned to hunt me down. I escaped from her and got outside, only to be captured by a dude wearing a bird mask. His name was Lucas."

This time, none of them give any noticable reaction to that particular name.

"When they captured me, Lucas tortured me, being the sadist he is. He was a dual wielder, with the wind and lightning by his side."

"How did you escape?" Jason asked.

"Physics," I grinned.

"Excuse me?"

" remembered that a vacuum space was a space that matter was almost non existent. It was a risky gamble, wrapping myself in vacuum, but it did the trick. I escaped and ran all the way here."

"Nice one," Percy grinned and gave me a fist bump. I could tell there was a slight tension in his voice, as if he's remembering something he shouldn't have.

"This is bad," Annabeth muttered. "Very bad. If the Council themselves are looking for Ai, then we're in deep shit." Everyone looked nervous.

"Can I ask why?" I asked.

"The Council is a group of leaders from each faction that gathers up and discuss things, on how to maintain peace in everything. This prevents any uprising on who should rule everything, because everybody gets the same amount of power and authority." Annabeth explained. "Like I said, they're in charge of everything. And if they say that you're a threat to them, then you're gonna be in serious trouble."

Piper nodded. "The group that attacked you, they're like the SWAT team for the council. If the Council needs something done, then they're called in. They call themselves the Black Ghouls, since most of them are sadist and specialize in using their powers for assassination."

"Why Ai though?" Liz asked. "I mean, he's just like one of you guys, right?"

"To us, he is one of us," Percy said. "But to the Council, he's a threat. He unique, and they don't like it. He has his foot on all of their domain, which means Ai can stop them by himself, given the proper training of course."

"Since when did you become smart?" Thalia asked.

Percy grinned. "I have my moments."

"Anyway, Ai," Annabeth turned towards me. "How did Liz get involved in this?"

I tensed up and so did Liz. Her face was blushing with red. "Uh, we ran into each other."

I hoped my face was as red as it felt.

 **A/N: I hope you guys are happy because I had nothing to do other than write this chapter, which is wrong because my big exam is coming in two weeks. No worries. It's just an exam that's going to determine my future and I am currently lack in knowledge.**

 **No pressure.**

 **Anyway, since you guys gave good reviews (thanks btw), it made me want to update. So technically, this is all your fault. Just kidding. I won't blame you for anything. Maybe. Who knows. I'm rambling again aren't I?**

 **Oh, if you're wondering how the hooded guy looked like, you'll know if you play a lot of MOBA games. (*cough* Dota 2 *cough*) So, leave a review if you enjoyed it or not. I promise you things won't get too complicated so that you won't have to keep in tracks with too many stuff. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter. I won't be updating for two more months or so. So, take care and have a nice day.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Huh, this is awkward. I'll just ignore the big elephant in the room and continue answering your questions.**

 **immortal godess: First of, it's Ai. And yeah, he's got emotional problems.**

 **Percy3: If you've played RPG games, then you'll understand where I'm going with the story. The main character goes stupidly strong early game and then goes super weak before he gradually gains strength again.**

 **MajorCartooniac: I honestly enjoyed your commentry over my story :D. I'll give you a short explanation. The way they get their powers is just as obligatory as the way Egyptian magicians are picked. And the flying boulder is from Ai's early powers.**

 **Randor: I swear I don't know who Kyle Rayner is, mainly because I don't read DC that much. If it sounds kind of similar to any character you've read or heard of, it's purely coincidental.**

 **PercyJFan987: Oh he will be. Trust me.**

 **Illuzunist: Had to google what you meant what you said. But yeah, it was pretty much that. Glad someone picked it up. And yes, you are reading my mind for this chapter.**

 **Now, let's get on with the story.**

 **Chapter 3**

When everyone got settled in, Annabeth thought it would be best if I trained my powers more, considering the Council is after me and I have basically no control over my powers.

So we went to the backyard, which had a swimming pool, a tool shed and a barbeque pit. Yeah, my parents are filthy rich. I don't know how many times I've said that.

Percy wasted no time in dipping himself in water while making some water sculptures. Thalia and Piper sat on lounge chairs watching us while Annbeth stood in front of me, trying to train me. I remember Jason grabbing Liz to buy some stuff that he needed.

"So, from what I've seen and heard from you, you're at your best when you feel desperate, angry or just feel like in dipshit." Annabeth pointed out.

"Pretty much, yeah," I said.

"So the more jumbled your emotions are in, the more powerful your powers are," Annabeth said. She had that thoughtful look on her face like she's trying to solve a very complicated math problem without a calculator.

"But it wears me out so badly," I explained. "The more I use it on a bigger scale, the more likely I'll pass out."

"That's natural. All Elementalist has that problems,"

"Quick question. Piper told me that you're a Tactician or something like that."

"Yeah, one of the categories under the Psychic Element. I can see anything from any angle in a hundred mile radius, which comes in handy if we're in a battle. Hence the name, Tactician."

"Doesn't it wear you out?"

"It does, the more I got used to it the more it got easier." Annabeth explained patiently. "Now, for your training, using your reflexes,"

"Okay. What is that?"

"Elementalists have to be fast and quick with their action so they can use their powers with maximum effciency with minimal effort." Annabeth said.

"What about Percy?" I nudged at him, making a small miniature horse made out of water galloping across the pool. "I don't think that's an efficient use of power,"

"Of course not. He's an idiot," Annabeth rolled his eyes. "Now, Thalia's gonna fire some non-lethal lightning bolts at you from any direction she chooses. It's up to you on how you react to it."

"Thalia?" I said in exasperation. "Are you even sure it's non-lethal?"

"Maybe," Thalia answered the question herself. "We'll see for ourselves, won't we?" She stood up and stretched a bit. "You ready?"

"So, all I have to do is dodge, right?"

"Dodge, deflect, whatever you can do to make sure it doesn't hit you," Annabeth said as she took a seat next to Piper.

"Okay, I'm ready," I said. Almost instantly, Thalia flashed. Not _that_ kind of flash, you sick perv. It was as if she turned into a bolt of lightning and disappeared before reappearing again in another spot right next to me with another bolt of lightning.

"Too slow," She said. Before I could register anything, she zapped me and I crumpled to the ground in pain. I grunted as I rose to one knee. It was non-lethal, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

"What the heck was that?" I wheezed.

"What, you think I'm just gonna stay in one spot and fire at you? Nah, that's too easy," Thalia said. "The moment you're on your two feet, I'm gonna start again,"

I decided to catch my breath for a second. When I was ready, I stood up. Immediately, Thalia flashed away again and appeared somewhere behind me. Out of instinct, I rolled out of the way. I thought the bolt would hit the ground where I had been, but instead it hit me from behind.

"What the hell," I groaned.

"Here's a tip: If you see your enemy move, don't assume he's going to attack immediately. Smarter enemies tend to wait for you to act first. There are times when making the first move gives you the advantage, but there are times when it benefits your enemies more." Thalia said.

"Well said, Thalia," Piper applauded.

I grunted and stood up. Immediately, I put a bubble of wind surrounding me, so there's no way she's going to get me this time.

As usual, I was wrong. A bolt of lightning struck me from the ground and at my gut. I collapsed in pain. "How?" I grunted.

"Danger comes from every possible angle. Don't think you're safe just because you see what's around you." Thalia said again. I wouldn't admit this out loud, but Thalia's actually a very good teacher. "Focus on every angle and perspective. It doesn't matter how good your defence is, you're vulnerable in some kind of way every single second. No human is invulnerable."

"Got it," I grunted. I stood up and readied myself. Thalia flashed away again. I closed my eyes and heard a zap behind me. I noticed it coming and I knew it was coming. I relied on my instincts and used the air around me to push me up to the air as the bolt whizzed under me and zapped a nearby bush. I landed gently on the ground for just a second before I got zapped again.

"Gotta remember, your enemies won't attack just once."

"Noted," I said dizzily. "Can we take a break?"

I could hear Thalia laughing. "Sure thing kid," She sat down at where Annabeth and Piper were. I kinda dragged myself towards them, just so I could lie down in pain.

"Enjoying yourself?" Piper asked with an innocent smile.

"Uh huh," I sighed. "I hate to admit it, but I actually learned a few useful things from her,"

Annabeth chuckled. "Thalia might be an airhead, but she's actually a really good fighter," Thalia scowled at her insult and zapped her sightly, in which Annabeth yelped in pain.

"But I'm better," Percy said as he sat down next to me. For someone who just got out of the swimming pool, he looked surprisingly dry. I guess, being a Water Elementalist has it's perks.

"No, you're not," Thalia argued.

"Want to duel? Right here, right now,"

"I'm ready, so bring-"

"Guys," I interrupted. "The last time you duelled, you destroyed my classroom. So I'm not to fancy of you guys duelling near my house,"

"Fair point," Thalia shrugged. "Oh yeah, when are we gonna get Ai a weapon?"

"A weapon?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that," Annabeth said. "Every Elementalist have their powers as weapons. But, just in case you're too tired to use your powers, you must carry some kind of weapon with you. Like a last resort way to defend yourself."

"Huh, makes sense," I sat up. "So, when do I choose mine?"

"Most people use weapons that are suitable to their needs and elements to synergize well. Like Thalia would use a spear because it can act like a lightning rod. Percy uses a sword because he can use water to keep enemies in place for him to finish out with a sword," Annabeth said.

"I don't think we can find anything for Percy," Piper said. "He's got too much variety in his powers."

"Either he won't a suitable weapon, or he finds all weapon suitable. Which is just as annoying," Percy said.

"Can't I just pick a sword and be done with it?"

"You could, but I wouldn't reccommend it. You'd want to pick a weapon that synergizes well with your powers. It could end up saving your life," Annabeth said. "Better safe than sorry,"

I shrugged. "Good point. I'll try choosing one later,"

Then, we heard a voice said from the house. "We're back!"

"We're at the back!" Percy called out. A second later, Jason and Liz showed up with a plastic bag of . . . stuff. "Did you get everything?"

"It took a while, but we managed," Jason grinned. He sat next to Piper and set the plastic bag down in front of him. Liz took a seat next to me.

"What did you buy?" I asked.

"The things I need for a crystal. Prisms, lemonade, arsenic and tequila." Jason said nonchalantly, as if they were things you could get out of 7-11.

"I think my hearing is messed up because of Thalia's beatings," I said. "What did you say that third item was?"

"Arsenic,"

"So I'm not deaf. Good to know." I sighed. "Why do you need arsenic for? How did you even get arsenic?"

"Elementalists have their own established underground black market if you know where to look." Jason explained. "There, you can get just about anything you want from a battleaxe to a Heineken."

"Okay, so what do you need these things for?"

"The prism is a vessel for an element, The lemonade is to sterelize it and the arsenic is to compress it enough to fit in the prism." Jason said.

I nodded as if I knew what he was talking about. I actually didn't. "What's the tequila for?"

"Oh, that's just for me," Jason grinned.

"Aren't you underage?"

"Well, I don't really drink it for my personal use. I'll explain later when the time comes," Jason said. "But right now, we need to make a Shard,"

"A what?" I asked.

"It's for Liz," Jason said. "Since they know that she's with you, then she's in danger. This is just to defend herself and only for necessary usage."

"So explain to me, what's a Shard?" Liz asked.

"A Shard is like something that holds a tiny essence of an Elementalist's power. It enables normal humans to use our powers for a short period of time." Jason explained as he took a glass prism the shape of a pyramid and started to carve it. I don't know how the hell he's carving glass, but I didn't want to ask.

"So, if I use it, I can control fire and stuff?"

"Just for a few minutes. After that, you'll feel tired as hell," Annabeth supplied. "Because the human body isn't built to withstand the amount of energy exertion that Elementalists always let out whenever we use our power. Someone who's like a descendant of an Elementalist can use two or three Shards a day. Normal humans can barely use one without passing out."

"So that means I only use it when it's really, _really_ necessary?" Liz asked.

"Exactly," Jason said. He had already carved a dozen glass shards that looked like a necklace piece. It wasn't any bigger than a stopwatch. "I'm gonna make a bunch of weaker Shards for you, so you won't feel so tired after using them. But I'll make some powerful ones too, just in case."

"Well, I'm hungry," Percy said. "Who wants pizza?"

 **Line Break**

While the others get pizza, I went to my room upstairs for a bit to get some rest. My bed was lined up on the far side of the wall next to a balcony/window hybrid that you would normall see placed at the ground floor. I have a thing with looking the world out from the window. It just seems so peaceful. I mean, there's nothing outside really worth seeing. From my window, I could only see the road outside and the neighbouring houses. But it helps me think.

I sat down and looked out. It was an hour past noon. I sighed deeply. To think that before this, I was just a normal teenager. Now, I have a few deadly assassins chasing after me under the order of some organization called The Council. My life just too a 180 turn out of nowhere. I mean, meeting Percy and the others were cool and discovering my hidden powers were awesome, but was it worth it replacing my old life for it? Was it worth the danger I'm facing right now?

I was deep in thought when I hear knocking from the door. I turned to see Liz smiling at me. "Hey,"

"Heya," I smiled back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just want to tell you that the pizza's here," Liz said. Then she looked around my room. "Nice room,"

I chuckled. "Come on in," I invited. Liz looked hesitant about it but she came in anyway and sat next to me near the window. "Nice view huh?"

"Yeah, I could admire all those houses outside," Liz said sarcastically. I laughed.

"How are you holding up?"

"Pretty well. I mean, haven't screamed in panic,"

"And nobody wants that. You have the highest pitched scream I've ever heard."

She blushed. "That was one time, and it was your fault!"

"Hey, I'll take the blame of putting a toy mouse under your desk, but I have no idea you were terrified of it." I said, raising my hands up.

"Who wouldn't be terrified of those little creatures," Liz grumbled.

I laughed. "Well, I now know a way to get to you,"

Liz glared at me and for the third time, she pointed a butter knife at me. I mean, I know that the butter knife isn't very lethal, especially in Liz's hands, but she somehow managed to look scary with it. "You were saying?"

 **Line Break**

I fell asleep a bit after talking to Liz. I wasn't too worried about the others burning the house down, not with Annabeth around.

I woke up late at night for some reason. I rubbed my eyes and went downstairs. I found Jason and Percy sleeping on the couch. I felt bad about not being a good host and not providing them with pillows or blankets. I got a couple of pillows and slid them under their heads. For Percy it was a bit weird because he drooled.

I didn't find the girls anyway. Maybe they were sharing the spare bedroom with Liz. If I'd known they would stay here for the night, I'd given them the other spare room I had.

I went to the kitchen and turned the lights on. I grabbed some milk from the fridge and poured a glass of it. I was putting the milk back into the fridge and when I turned around, Someone was leaning back on the sink, looking casual as if he was just another friend. Around his index finger on his right hand, he twirled something that looked like a stick with a keyring.

He was tall with a college-aged handsome look that only a football player would have with short cropped sandy blonde hair. His blue eyes reminded me of Jason's, a well built body and a mischeivous grin that make me hard to trust him around with my wallet. There was one distinctive feature that I noticed about him: the jagged scar that ran from the bottom of his eye to his chin, like someone took something sharp and ran it down his face.

"Hey," He greeted casually. He stopped twirling and put the stick in his pocket. Somehow, I got a feeling that it wasn't an ordinary stick.

"Um, hey," I was surprised at how calm I was. I didn't feel like the need to scream and wake everyone up, nor do I feel the urge to pull out a butter knife and defend myself.

"You seem unsurprised by all this," He said with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, with everything's going on, my brain was ready to accept anything," I explained.

"Well, by not attacking me, I'm guessing you trust me. So I'll trust you too. I'm Luke Castellan." He offered his hand. I studied him carefully. After the incident with Cynthia, I wasn't too sure about coming in contact with strangers. He seemed to notice my doubt and chuckled. "I see. I'm guessing you have your experience with Psychics before, have you?"

"There's no such thing as too careful," I pointed out. Luke shrugged.

"Fair enough, Ai,"

"You know my name?"

"I know a lot of things. And you interest me the most among others." Luke walked closer to me. I could feel the hair on my body rising. Maybe he's a Lightning Elementalist.

"A lot of people have taken interest in me lately," I kept a steely look. "Some of them want me dead,"

Luke held his hands up as if to show he's unarmed. "I assure you, I mean no harm. I'm merely an interested man,"

"Who are you, really?"

Luke laughed. "Let's just say that," He nudged at Percy and Jason, who were heavily asleep on the couch. "I'm an old friend of them."

"You mean you're from the camp?"

His expression darkened a bit, but his grin didn't waver. "I _was_ from there. I have my reasons for leaving,"

"Why are you here then?"

"Like I said, I'm just an interested man." Luke winked at me. "Good luck after this. You'll need it,"

"Good luck for what?" I asked. Then, he seemed to vanish in a flash of light, leaving me with nothing but a glass of milk. I decided not to dwell on it very much and drank my milk. I sat there for a few minutes, trying to clear my head when suddenly, I heard a car tires screeching into a halt right in front of my house. The car lights shined through the window, blinding me for a second.

"What the-"

I never got to finish my sentence, nor do I have a way to explain what just happened to me. It was like the air pushed me and I flew through the window and landed on the front hud of the black SUV. I heard Liz's high pitched scream, which made me feel a bit better somehow.

I groaned as I tried moving my body. It felt sore all over the place. A familiar someone stepped into view in front of me.

"Did you miss me?" Cynthia said with a grin.

"Not one bit," I managed. I tried moving but just as I feared, she has me in her grip.

"You're a tough one to track. I'm amazed you got away from us." Cynthia said, tracing her finger down my forearm. She looked just as mean as ever.

As usual, my mouth felt like they're being bound by duct tape when I tried to speak. "i have my moments." I glared at her. 'What do you want?"

Cynthia shrugged. "Same as always. You're a threat to the Council, and I'm gonna bring you in,"

"Can you at least give me a fighting chance?"

Cynthia laughed. "You're funny, I'll give you that." Then her smile faded. "But I learned a long time ago never to give your opponent any kind of advantage."

I struggled to move again, but to no avail. "Stand up," Cynthia said, and my body followed. I hated being controlled like a puppet. "Come with me."

Not a chance. I'm not doing that. I concentrated hard. The air around me seem to swirl around, getting stronger. Until something like slapped Cynthia on her face, taking her by surprise, releasing me from her grip.

I backed away from her as far as possible. She glared at me. "You really don't do things the easy way, do you?" She held her hand towards Thalia's SUV and lifted it up in the air. "Oh yeah, I'm also a Telekinetic,"

She flung the SUV towards me with no effort. I slammed my fist onto the ground and an earthen wall sprouted out like a shield, blocking the path of the car. Then I kicked the same wall, sending it in boulders at her. Cynthia sidestepped before using her telekinesis again on a nearby picket fence. The pointy planks from the fence surrounded her like spears, ready to strike.

"You'll be surprised how handy it is to be creative," Cynthia grinned. She snapped her fingers and one by one, the planks flew towards me at high speed. I doubt I would survive a blow from even one of it, and she has dozens.

Curse the neighbour for making a picket fence.

I dodged one and blocked another by moving the SUV in the way. I flicked two more away from me using the wind while I ducked under another one. Cynthia looked like she's enjoying this.

"I'm giving you a fighting chance," She smirked. "Use it well,"

I've come to the sudden realisation that I'm a short tempered man. Her taunts are getting to me. I held my hand up in the sky and thrust it downwards. A massive thunderbolt crashed on the ground next to Cynthia. The headache came to me instantly. Maybe that's why people use their powers in a smaller scale. Because using them in a big scale makes it hard to aim.

"Nice try," Cynthia said with a smirk. She launched another picket fence at me. I barely dodged it as it scraped my cheek. I knew I couldn't dodge the next one, so I ground to create another wall as a shield. It proved useless as one projectile managed to find my shoulder and wound it. I screamed out in pain. "Come on, you can do better than that,"

I stood up shakily. I tried finding anything that might come in handy. All I found was a broomstick. There wasn't even a broom. Just the stick, leaning against the wall of the house. Why would I have something like that, I have no idea. But I grabbed it and said, "To hell with it,"

When Cynthia launched the next few planks, I deflected some of them with the stick out of sheer luck. I focused on my powers and threw the stick like a javelin. Cynthia was ready to block it, but I thrust my hand and focused on the stick. When I spread my fingers open, so did the stick, splitting into five smaller sticks. It's like a shotgun shell separating into tiny bullets.

Cynthia obviously didn't see this coming, because one scratched her on the shoulder while another narrowly misses her head.

And I also didn't see her next attack, because the SUV (now looked crashed) got telekinetically moved and smashed onto me, making me smash onto the outside wall of my house before I collapse to the ground. The headache from summoning the thunderbolt earlier wasn't helping.

"If this is your true level," Cynthia said. "Then you're no threat to us," She stood over me, ready for the final blow when something pushed her away for a few meters, leaving a trail of water. The sharp planks dropped onto the ground.

I looked at the door to see Percy, awake and looking angry even in his pyjamas. Cynthia coughed and stood up, glaring murderously at Percy. I looked back and forth between them and saw the similarity in them. They had the same green eyes and same intense glare. They even share the Jackson family name. How the heck I didn't notice that is beyond me.

But now it's clear. Cynthia was Percy's sister.

"What are you doing here?" Percy growled.

"It's good to see you again, _brother_ ," She spat out the last word like an insult. She straightened herself up and matched her brother's steely look. "I have no business with you. I want the Daydreamer,"

"Not gonna happen," Percy said steely. "You're gonna have to go through me,"

"Done that before," Cynthia smirked. She lifted her hand again and the planks floated around her. "You're weaker than me."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem for you," Percy raised his hands up. I felt the earth rumble underneath me. Then droplets of water started coming out of the ground and grass, probably from the water pipes underneath. "Ready?"

Cynthia's expression turned serious as she fired two fences at the same time. Percy dodged as they landed on the front porch while Percy clasped his hands together. The water droplets gathered around and formed a massive body of water. He thrust his hand forward, as if he's trying to grab something really quick. The water mimicked his movement but in a slightly bigger scale.

The water transformed into a giant hand and grabbed Cynthia. Cynthia yelped in pain as the planks are once again dropped to the ground. Percy then slammed his hand onto the ground with the palm facing down. The water mimicked his action again and slammed Cynthia onto the ground. Thanks to that, the front lawn was soaked.

"Leave before I change my mind," Percy snarled. Cynthia stood up unsteadily. She glared at Percy and then at me. Her eye seemed to twitch before she screamed in frustration and made a desperate lunge at me. But someone stopped her.

"That's enough," Luke said as he held Cynthia back with his power, something I still don't know about. "You've had your fun,"

"Let me go!" Cynthia squirmed against something invisible, but she wasn't doing any progress. Luke chuckled as he took a bite out of his apple.

"Luke," Percy growled. "You in this too?"

"Aw, come on Percy," Luke seemed had the amused-but-disappointed look on his face. "You know me. You think the Council would send me to get you guys? Like I explained to Ai-" Luke winked at me. "-I'm just an interested man,"

"Funny," Percy snarled. "Didn't seem like you were interested in saving us when you betrayed us,"

"Carefuly Percy. Some wounds take a long time to heal," He said. He turned to me. "I'll be keeping an eye for you."

"Let me go, Luke!" Cynthia tried to struggle her way through whatever's holding her.

"Leave the poor boy alone. He's gotten enough for one day. Besides, we got what we came here for." Luke said. "Well, until next time fellas," Then, they vanish into white light.

Percy sighed deeply before turning towards me. "You okay?"

"More or less," I said, despite a wounded shoulder and a massive headache. "Thanks for coming,"

"Well, I was going to take a piss when I heard the commotion outside," Percy's face turned grim. "They really wanted you, huh?"

I nodded. "That was your sister, wasn't it?"

His body seemed to tense. "Yeah," He managed. "As you can tell, we're on bad blood,"

"And the other guy, Luke. It seems like you know him," I said. I told him about our brief meeting in the kitchen. "He said that you guys were old friends."

"We were friends, but that was a long time ago," Percy said. "Remember when we mention about the only person who can control three elements?" I nodded. "That was Luke."

"So basically speaking, he's the most powerful Elementalist alive?"

"Maybe," Percy said. His mind seemed distant, so I didn't want to press any further than I should.

"Help me up, will you?" I said. "Did you guys left me some pizza?"

 **Line Break**

I never did really went to sleep. After Percy bandaged my wound on the shoulder, he went back to sleep. I sat on the edge of the pool at the backyard, where it's less likely for me to be attacked.

I sat at the edged of the pool with my feet dipped under the water. I tried to think about what happened and why Luke spared me. If Luke really is as powerful as Percy said, then he should be sent to get me, along with Cynthia and Lucas. Instead, he seems to be more interested in watching me rather than capturing me. Though I'm sure he's not one of us, but I wasn't sure if he's one of the enemy either.

I watch at the waters of the pool, which were lit up from the pool lights. I twirled my finger around, using my powers. A stream of water snaked out of the pool and spiralled in the air. It made loops and shapes that reminded me of a Las Vegas fountain show. I snapped my fingers and the water dropped back down into the pool.

"You're up early," A voice said from the door. It was Annabeth, still in her pyjamas, but she didn't look like someone who had just woke up. Her blonde hair was neatly tied in a ponytail and her face didn't look very sleepy.

"Yeah, after what happened just a few minutes ago, I couldn't really sleep," I said. Annabeth studied me. It always unnerved me on how calculating her eyes was. It's like she's taking notes on every movement you make and every breath you take.

"What happened to your shoulder?" She asked, finally noticing.

"Take a seat and I'll explain." I grinned. So she sat next to me cross-legged, not letting her legs into the water. "So, uh, an old friend of yours visited me earlier,"

"Cynthia?"

I shook my head. "Luke Castellan," That name seem to strike a nerve, because Annabeth tensed. Suddenly, her calculating eyes looked insecure and worried.

It seems like people who had a history with my new friends have an interest in me.

Eventually, Annabeth calmed herself down. "What happened?"

"We talked for a bit. He said he had an interest in me. He was being all mysterious before he disappeared. Then Cynthia pulled me out of the house." I said. "We had a battle and I would've been captured if Percy hadn't intervened. Then Luke came in and took her away,"

Annabeth sighed. "I'm guessing you know about Percy and Cynthia?"

I nodded. "They're siblings, aren't they?" Annabeth nodded. "Look, I don't mean to pry or anything, but what happened between them?"

Annabeth was silent for a few minutes before she answered. "Percy arrived at camp with his twin sister, Cynthia. They had this unique bond that I've never seen before. It's like the old saying, 'closer than blood'."

"Who said that?"

"I did," Annabeth smirked a little. "Anyway, they were really close. Like how twins are supposed to be. But about a year ago, things started to go downhill." Annabeth stared into the pool. Her eyes looked distant. "Cynthia had frequent nightmares. She stayed away from us, she keeps going out and coming back late. Then, she started to act secretive. Like, she wouldn't tell us anything she did."

"Sounds like a teenage girl not trying to get caught partying by her parents,"

Annabeth nodded. "One day, we followed her secretly. We found out she'd been meeting a member of the Council in secret, doing their dirty work. When we confronted her, she ran away. And since then, she'd been the enemy."

"So she turned to the Dark Side," I muttered.

"That's one way of putting it. We encounter her sometimes, but she would just avoid us normally. I think if what you told me was true, this is the first time in a year that Percy had ever talked to Cynthia," Annabeth said. "I just hope he's okay. He doesn't show it and won't admit it, but he misses her."

"Must be rough," I said. I never had someone that close in my life. Not even my parents. I doubt they even remember when my birthday is. "What's up about Luke?"

Again, Annabeth tensed, almost flinched, when hearing his name. I sensed her mental shields going up. "Um . . ."

I took the hint. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I said. Annabeth relaxed and she seemed to calm down, which was okay. "Anyway, what are you doing up so early?"

She looked relieved that the topic changed. "I always wake up early. It's how I train my mind to be always ready. Being a Psychic Elementalist, that comes in handy sometimes."

I grinned. Annabeth just gave me a smile. "Did Percy get hurt when he saved you?" Annabeth asked.

I shook my head. "I don't think so. He beat up Cynthia pretty badly." Then, something clicked in me. "You like him don't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You, Miss Chase, have a crush on Percy Jackson," I grinned. Annabeth's face went red instantly. She looked like her head could explode.

"W-What are you talking about?" Annabeth stuttered, which was a first for me. "I don't have a crush on him,"

"It doesn't take psychic powers to know, Annabeth," I said with a smile. "Besides, denial is the first sign that you like him,"

Annabeth tried to straighten herself, but she looked so flustered it's almost funny. Then, she glared at me. "If you let out even a word of this, I will drown you in the pool, understand?"

I gulped. "Understood,"

Annabeth seemed satisfied because she smirked. As she turned and wanted to go back inside, she stopped at the door. "You know, I'm usually not easy to read. So when you read me, you have a real talent,"

"Um, should I feel honoured or trolled?"

I could hear Annabeth sigh in exasperation. "Never mind,"

I shrugged, so I went inside as well. I figured I should get some sort of rest, considering what I went through last night. So I went upstairs and lay down on the bed. It didn't take long before my eyes closed.

And I got dreams again. Wee.

I was back in the prison cell from before. This time, the room looked like it had brightened up a little. The girl from the previous dream was still here, shackled to the wall and helpless. But she looked more wounded than before. Her dress looked older and more torn. Her black hair looked like it had been attack by a rabid squirrel.

"Ai . . . Please . . ." She sounded like she was begging.

"Who are you?" I asked. I surprised myself on how my voice sounded. It sounded like speaking through an echoing microphone, but muffled.

She looked at me. The first time she did that, her face looked blurry and unclear. It's like you look at a face in the first glance. But looking at her now, I see her clearly. Now it made sense why she knew my name.

It was Liz.

 **A/N: Well, there ya go. The chapter felt a bit rushed because my ideas was running out, so sorry about that. And I should probably explain why I haven't writing that much.**

 **I'm trying to make a new story, completely original, no fandom. It's not even a fanfic. It's a full fledged story. So, I'm sorry for the late update, but I've been busy.**

 **So, I hope you guys enjoyed that. Leave a review if you did. And I'll see you in the next chapter.**


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